17 Tips For Travel With Kids

17 Tips For Travel With Kids

With this recent cold spell, many of you are looking to get away somewhere warm. I don’t blame you – I’d be travelling too, if I wasn’t due in December! I think you’ll have the best vacation possible if you’re well prepared, so here are my top tips for travel with kids.

Your Flight – Start off Right

1. Flying with a toddler or baby can be a daunting task. I recommend parents feed their children (e.g. breastfeed or bottle feed infants and give your older kids some water, milk or a snack) on the way up and down, in order to help their ears “pop.”

2. Some kids may benefit from a dose of Ibuprofen before they fly, as I do, to mitigate ear pain.

3. Parents ask me all the time about medications like Benadryl and Gravol. Be warned: while these can make some kids sleepy, others will have a paradoxical reaction and become more awake and irritable. I recommend trying a dose at home before flying just in case. Much to my chagrin my kids get hyper on both medications.

4. For newborns and infants, I recommend adding a sling or infant carrier to your baby-wearing gear. That way your infant is comfortable and you have your hands free, which is essential when juggling passports, tickets, and money. I find that most often babies will fall asleep when worn, leaving you to handle whatever comes your way through the flight and help you stay sane.

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